Project Memento - Storyline A
by Beta-D-glucose
Summary: Sometime after the Red Alert incident, the maverick hunters receive a strange call for help, which brings them to even stranger places. The facilities of the Aperture Science holds many mystery, and deadly traps. Will they able to pull it off, and stay alive? (This is the third - Axl's - parallel storyline. Check out the other two as well! OC content.)
1. Chapter 1

GLaDOS: _„The authoress would __like to remind you that this story is a non-profit, fanfiction crossover. All features and characters are belong to their respective owners, excluding Cyrr, Emma, Ciano and the storyline itself. Please support the official release!_

_Also, the authoress would like to encourage you to leave notifications, comments, and critics; furthermore, she wishes you a pleasant time._

_Fanfiction project: Memento starts in 5…4… - _Wait, what? Oh!_ The non-existent engineers just reminded me of something. You can choose three alternate storyline, and if you aren't tired of reading, or survive without critical brain damage, there's a _**surprise**_ for you after each story. _

_So, choose your favorite character, and let's make science!"_

Sorry it took so long, but finally, Axl's here too! (Actually, this chapter turned out longer than expected. Maybe Axl's chatty personality affects the storytelling as well...) Those who just stumbled across this story: welcome to Project Memento!

* * *

_The favor_

If there was one thing Axl hated – besides betrayal – was boredom.

That was the reason why he was such a hyperactive kid, though X and Zero told him he matured a little lately.

That was the reason why he hated waiting.

And that was the reason why he hated paperwork. With passion.

Seriously, who in their right mind would give freaking _paperwork_ for a soldier whose only job supposed to be kicking maverick asses?! At least they could give him something exciting to write about, but nooooooo! He had to collect every single name whose property had been damaged during his missions. Address, contact, what had been destroyed, how much was it worth, etc., etc., etc…. WHO CARES?!

He knew it was a selfish thought, but times were soooo much simpler with Red Alert – before they all went nuts, of course. They simply prepared for the mission, kill that maverick, retreated, and end of story. No "facing the consequences of their action", no hours of mission briefing (when you have to tell the same story over and over again, with the smallest details), no cleanup, and definitely _no paperwork!_

Everybody can accuse him being heartless, irresponsible, selfish spoiled brat, but try being cool and collected with a pile of unfinished work, and an approaching deadline. Add 48 hours without sleeping, and occasional, boring patrol missions to the mixture, and voilà! We've got the rare sight of a grumpy Axl.

"Hero's work my ass…" he grunted "Aaaaaaaargh, I'll never be able to finish this stuff! I swear I'll tell Signas to hire more secretaries, or gimme a pay rise if he wants to see papers so badly…"

Axl yawned, and stretched out his aching back. Funny, so far he thought only humans have such problems… He looked at the clock just to realize it was 2 AM in the morning. Yes, the HQ was open 24/7, and there were no regulations how much time they spend in their office. Oh, the joys of being a hunter…

All right, let's get this over with… He grudgingly took a paper from the top of his pile, and started to read once more. However, the information just flew straight through his thick scull. The letters wavered and merged into a big blur…

…need sleep…

…_now_…

If someone was listening carefully, they could hear a soft knock as the young reploid's head hit his desk.

* * *

...

"Axl! Axl, wake up!"

"…leave me alone, I gotta save 'er…"

"AXL!"

Someone had been shaking his shoulder and now slapped him. That finally snapped him out. Axl let out a big yawn, rubbing his eyes and head.

"Gee, X… that hurt… "

His mentor and colleague, X, just crossed his arms and shook his head.

"If you're tired, Axl, just go home, or get a capsule. Believe me, it's way much better for you, than just dozing off on your desk."

"I know, I know, but… I couldn't help it. I gotta give these to Signas in two days. I can't waste time!"

"Time spent on proper relaxation is never wasted. You can do much more and better job with a fresh mind, than just sitting on it non-stop. You can't really work with a fried out brain."

"I love you X, did'ya know?"

X laughed in a good nature. It took a long time, but finally, they could mend things together with X, and started a new bond of friendship. He was more willing to take Axl as a… sorts of an apprentice.

"Hey, if nothing else comforts you, I'll let you know I have just the same amount of work left, and the deadline is today." X said with a little grimace.

"Nah, you know what? Let's make an office pajama-party, where we do paperwork, and worry ourselves to death. With free coffee."

"Sounds like fun, eh? I'm sure Zero would approve, if he hadn't slept in _again_… never mind. Listen, Signas needs us in his office within five minutes, so you'd better get ready. It took long enough to wake you up… Hey, speaking of which…" X turned to him, his expression mischievous "…who was that 'her' you wanted to save so badly?"

"Oh, shut up!" Axl grunted, but his mentor didn't miss his embarrassed blush.

"Okay, okay" X chuckled. "Let's go."

* * *

He swore Signas' voice could easily make grizzly bears go to their winter sleep - in the middle of July. Even though he was awake and well a second ago, Axl's mind switched back to "zombie mode" in the first five minutes. He yawned. At least they don't have to bear with his "eccentricities" this time, eh? He'll just stand there, quietly, and follow X wherever the hell they're going to patrol again. His mentor always backed him up when he forgot something anyways.

The briefing was relatively short (little less than half an hour), but when you can perceive the world as a big blur, it feels like eternity. X was freaked out at some point, but his mind was too sleepy to process the meaning of it. Maybe it's one of his "why-must-we-fight" moments again…

The truth is, the longer he was a maverick hunter, the more he realized X did have some point. Believe it or not, the hunters still valued life. That, and the clean-up process they had to do after each battle… If _only_ there would be a _possible_ way to put down mavericks peacefully... X tried, and he wasn't alone. But… they had a _war _to handle. Times like these, they couldn't hesitate. Their foes didn't back down either, and none of them so far had listened to them. If they tried to talk, they'd just waste time, while innocent people are getting hurt or killed.

… Too bad Axl's brain was currently incapable to think right now, let alone this deep. He was away in la-la land, when suddenly…

"Axl, let's go!" his mentor's voice snapped, cutting through the bubble. He blinked a couple of times, only to realize he was alone, in front of Signas. X was already at the door waiting for him. Whoops!

"Oh! Uuuh… Yeah, X, I'm coming! Goodbye, sir!"

He hastily left the room, and hoped Signas doesn't mind sparing him from some humiliation. Thankfully, he chose not to say anything.

X and Axl walked in deep silence, until Axl spoke up:

"So… where are we going, again?" he yawned.

"WHAT?! Axl, don't tell me you've slept through the whole meeting!"

"Hey, I hadn't have a proper recharge in two days! Besides I thought it was one of those boring patrol missions again, so…"

X raised an eyebrow.

"We're about to go to space and rescue a runaway hostage, or fall into a deadly booby trap. You call _that_ boring?"

Yeah, yeah, deathly and stuff…_space_…WAIT WHAT?

"Whoa, wait a sec! Did'ya just say space?"

X was about to reply, but then, they heard running footsteps. Soon a familiar, blond reploid skidded to stop in front of them.

"Hey, X, Axl" he panted "I guess I missed the whole fun, didn't I?"

"You seriously need to move closer Zero." X rubbed his forehead. "It's not the first time you're late this much."

Yeah, Zero was pretty much a sleepyhead like Axl. Especially in these, hectic days, but the bastard can easily shake off being late like a boss, just because of his rank. Oh, how he envied him… Of course, Axl respected him, along with X as well, in his _unique_ way. After all, if it wasn't for Zero, he would end up getting killed or stuck in jail. Not fun. However, who wouldn't be a little jealous of a high ranked, handsome, badass warrior who was the ultimate crush of every ladies?

"Signas can forgive me a couple of times." Zero shrugged. "Anyways, I'll make it up for him, if he's so mad."

"But not Alia…"

"Are you going to rub it in further, or just give me a recap finally?" he grunted.

"Fine, fine…" X sighed.

He made sure to give a quick jab into Axl's ribs, before he continued.

"Basically, we have a complex mission here. Part one is investigate and guard a laboratory named Aperture Science. It's near Michigan, under the ground."

"Never heard of it."

"I guessed so, because the lab was founded in the 1960's. Which means it's roughly… three hundred years old. Also, there weren't much activities recorded from them."

"WHA?!" Axl chimed in finally. "_Three hundred?!_ And that place still exists? How the hell?!"

"That is something we might find out later. The point is, they have important research there, and the last thing we both need is to let them fall in maverick hands."

"What do they have?" Zero cut in.

"We have no clue." X admitted with a sigh. "We'll find out more later, when we actually can contact with the CEO. Signas described her as an AI, but he didn't say she's a reploid."

Zero crossed his arms.

"If not a reploid then what?"

"Umm… consciousness trapped in computer perhaps? Remember the lab is really old. Older than the reploid race."

T_his started to sound like a messed up sci-fi,_ Axl noted mentally.

"X, for the Holy Motherpad, this is no time for guessing! Just give facts!" Zero blurted.

"I know, I know, but we don't have much." X waved his hands in a calming motion. "Anyway, our other target is a moon rock mine and the other unit of the Aperture, behind the Moon. An evil force called the Innovators, had ambushed it, and took a hostage. She is a famous scientist, and she was in charge of this space lab we're talking about. Her name is Ciano."

Hmmm, Ciano… it sounded familiar. One might be surprised about this, but Axl was doing a little research in his spare time. He was looking for the scientist who could have a possible connection to his existence, or at least a lab where his technology was developed. Maybe he stumbled across that name a long ago, but wasn't important for him, so he let it slip away.

"She managed to escape however" X continued. "Now, she's on the run in deep space. She could only speak with us only once, then, we lost her. She gave us two coordinates, and that's all."

There was silence. Finally, Zero spoke up, his voice more serious than ever.

"X… you _do_ realize this is far not enough information for us, don't you?"

"Yes, and so does Signas. He said we will wait for two days, in case we can gather some more data. Also, everybody will have to keep their eyes open. If there's any hint this might be a façade, we will be retrieved immediately."

Zero's expression darkened as he nodded slowly. Axl was silent too, and this time it wasn't because of absent-mindedness. He noticed X wasn't happy either. They all understood this might be nothing, but a trap.

No words came from them, until X suggested to have a coffee. Even though it was far past noon, the day was still long… However, as the trio came down the cafeteria, a shriek pierced through the air and their ears.

"ZERO, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Beside Axl, Zero shuddered, and he didn't need to ask why.

Hehehe… maybe Zero can get away with many things, but there's no way in living hell he would be an exception in Alia's eyes… Let's just say, this time, he won't be envy for his friend/mentor in the next couple of hours…


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's note: Whew, finally! Sorry about the long wait. I had a minor writer's block, and an exam didn't help much either. Still, Axl finally goes to space._

_GLaDOS: "I've already said the disclaimer. Just go back to chapter number one, if you want to read it so much. Do you want to read it? WELL, I WON'T LET YOU! How is that feel?"_

* * *

_**Off to space!**_

"Well… I guess we could call it a progress. You died just five times rather than the usual fifteen."

"Aaaaw, geez!" Axl threw up his hands in aggravation. "I've been sitting in this lousy simulator all day, and the day before, and I still keep dying!"

"At least you only have to learn how to use the Lunar Module. Everything else is automated, thank goodness…" Alia sighed as she massaged her forehead much like X used to. "I'd love to say it'll come with time, but we don't have time. The launch will be tomorrow, whether we'd like it or not."

"Damn… I wish you could just teleport us there…"

"I already said I can't. Even GLaDOS doesn't have access to the Space Aperture anymore, even if they shared network. We're lucky we have this simulator program and the spaceship in her store."

"She programmed this crap? She's really a sadist then…"

"Axl!"

"Okay, okay, sorry. But… she still creeps me out… Just _that_ voice…"

"Axl, you know we can thank her a lot. If she didn't help us, we wouldn't be as far as we are now. Even though they aren't in best terms with Ciano, she's still her employee, and partly, she's under her responsibility. If Ciano is safe, it's GLaDOS' benefit as well."

"Or she just wants revenge. Don't look at me like that, I know what I'm saying! Listen, Ciano did stole one of her invention right? And on the top of that, she practically pirated the Space Aperture. If you'd lend someone your house, just to realize the person wants to claim it for themselves, what would you do?"

"Well… I'd sue them at least…"

"See? Even though Ciano is no maverick, she still has some dirty dealings."

"We'll see more once you saved her. One thing I agree though, that both her and GLaDOS have some explaining to do… Why would they invent the nanotoxin on the first place? And… how comes I found practically nothing from the Aperture? What do they have to hide? Listen, Axl, there's one thing I ask: be really, _really_ careful. I have no doubts that Aperture is legal, but if they have maverick connections, I don't know what we could do…"

"Then I'll just have to do a little cleaning up!"

"Oh, Axl…" she chuckled.

Suddenly, another voice cut in:

"Hey, if something needs a little cleaning up, it's your desk! It looks like the bedroom of a lazy student!"

Axl looked to the side, just to see his two friends and mentors standing at the door.

"Not funny, X!" The young one grumbled, but smiled nevertheless. "What brings the two of you here?"

"We heard you have trouble." X scratched his neck "And since we have nothing better to do…"

All in a flash, Axl threw his arms around their shoulders.

"You guys are my heroes!" He grinned. "Would you do my paperwork for me, too?"

The refusal came in chorus:

"**In your dreams!"**

* * *

Cape Canaveral. 6:30 AM.

Axl was travelling with the shiny, silver astrobus towards his space vehicle.

"If I look this way, it's a rocket. But if I look at it that way, I see a shuttle" he mused loudly. "How does that make sense?"

"_It's simple" _said GLaDOS through an intercom_ "What you're looking at right now is the Aperture Science Advaced Space-shuttle, or ASAS for short. This one is called ASAS-01, to be precise. We needed a vehicle which could be reused as efficiently as a shuttle, and to be as powerful as the Saturn V rocket. Not to mention, it had to withstand a serious amount of radioactivity."_

"So… you just made a hybrid? Simple as that?"

"_Simple? Oh, you are kidding me… Nevertheless, it can carry a large amount of fuel, cargo, and can land like any other space shuttle. But, it takes too much time to install it on a rocket, and take off from the Moon again. So, that's the reason why you had to learn how to use its Lunar Module."_

"And that was a pain in the ass…"

GLaDOS chose not to say anything, until the bus stopped.

"_Well, this is it. On the ASAS, I can't contact with you, the hunters and the space agency will navigate you instead. I'll have more than enough trouble watching your friends as they come over. Let's just say goodbye! You know, you will be… _missed_."_

"Thanks a bunch, Lady Weirdo!"

"_Oh, come on, don't you have sense of humor?"_

"Not at six in the morning…"

"_6:40 AM."_

"Whatever."

"_Seriously, any last message, for worst case scenario?"_

"Tell X and Zero that I thank them a lot. For everything. And, for the rest of the HQ, I say they are amazing, and I love them all."

"_How touching…"_

"Oh, shut up! Just… farewell, okay?"

"_Ah, well… farewell, young big-mouth…"_

Axl was about to retort, when a technician waved to him, pointing at his watch. Oh, yeah, it was time…

* * *

The young reploid was stuffed inside in a small cabin, the seatbelts fastened around him tightly. On his lap, laid a thick checklist, with all the instructions he might need on his journey. The engineers had already made the finishing touches, ran several tests, checked everything from top to bottom. The ASAS-01 was ready to take off.

In the sci-fi movies, they can travel with spaceships like it would be so easy. But in reality, it really, _really_ wasn't. It's true the staff on Earth calculates everything and revise it several times. It's true they help when you're in trouble. But they can only help you with advices and instructions. Just screw up those, and you're dead. Also, there are times, when they can't reach you. You're totally on your own.

Axl learned two important things from his "crash-course". One: you do something wrong, you have to fix it. It's crucial how you can solve problems, the faster, the better. Two: being precise and punctual isa must. Even though he still had problems with this rule, he understood why they said "keep the engines working for five minutes" or "fire the retrorockets until you slow down to x m/h". They calculated the trajectory, the force, the fuel they need for it, and so many additional, but crucial things. The best solution was to communicate in parameters the pilot can clearly understand and measure.

The reploid looked over the panels, checking for any possible errors. Of course, he knew the computer is doing the same – and possibly more efficiently – but watching it wouldn't hurt, would it?

One minute till launch… 45 seconds… 40…

"**T-30 seconds…"** he heard the countdown **"T-25… T-20… T-15… T-12… 11… 10… 9… 8… 7… engines starting…"**

At the same moment, he heard something like a gunshot, and he was given the taste of the ASAS-01's power. The whole machine was shaking violently, and the new force started pushing it.

"**4… 3… 2… 1… and we have liftoff!"**

Axl couldn't decide what was worse: the shaking, which was like a massive earthquake; the force squeezing him into his seat; or the loud noise, which reminded him walking next to the highway, while camions passing constantly.

He heard people's voices stating speed, altitude, how much time passed since liftoff, and what exactly was happening to the ship. Soon, it reached the speed of the sound, then double of it, then thrice… it escalated until above Mach 6. Axl noticed the sky was turning darker, then black.

Suddenly, the quakes were cut off. They were out of Earth's atmosphere.

"Whew… finally…" he sighed. "I thought the whole thing is going to explode or something…"

"Nah, it was built sturdier than that!" He heard an unfamiliar voice from his radio. "You okay, rookie?"

"It's fine. But who the heck are you?"

"Hey, watch your mouth, 'cause you won't hear any other than me and your operator for the next six days! I'm your CAPCOM, Gregory Deepfield. But call me Greg if you'd like."

"My what?"

"You don't know what the CAPCOM is? How did you get even… never mind. Sorry, I keep forgetting you didn't really have astronaut training."

"Didn't _really_ have? Are you joking? I've been frying out my circuits for 48 hours!"

Greg let out a snort.

"That's cute. Now imagine this for at least a year, almost every day, and you might get close how the life of an astronaut looks like. We're lucky if we can get to space twice. The rest of it is spent with constant studying and moooooore training."

"Geez… is it worth it?"

"What do you think, rookie? You're just experiencing it right now."

"Well… yeah. It's truly amazing, even though I'm a laic."

Just then, his checklist book hit his nose. Just how… oh yeah. No gravity. He grinned as he played around with the newfound phenomenon more. He let his book levitate in the air, his pen, one of his pistols… of course, the weapon was inactive. It would be deathly embarrassing if he damaged the computer, or shoot a hole in the window… He caught himself staring out of it. All he saw was black.

"I thought I might see some stars…" he mused.

"Nah, but you might see the good-ol' mother Earth soon. Maybe you should look in the other direction."

The young reploid did just that, and understood why they called Earth the Blue Marble.

"Wooooow… this is cool…" he breathed. "Hey, Greg? Have you seen her like that?"

"Are you asking if I had been in outer space? Of course! If I hadn't I couldn't be your CAPCOM. Ah, wait, I'll explain: CAPCOM stands for CAPsule COMmunicator. Regard me as an interpreter between you and the space agency. I have to listen to everything, process it, and decide which tasks you should do, and which request I should pass on to the agency. I give advice, instructions, and I make quick decisions what to do, when there's something wrong, like, emergency situations. And many other stuff like that. Oh, and I'll also cheer you up, if you ask kindly enough. I couldn't do this without travelling to space at least once."

"Whoa, that sounds like a complicated job!"

"But I like it. I love to work with people, even if we just talk about what's necessary. Speaking of which, if this wouldn't be an autopiloted ship, we would be much busier. Meaning, we wouldn't have time to chit-chat like that. Anyway, I'm just thankful it does a good job so far… while we spoke, your luxurious cruiser had set itself to the correct orbit precisely, so one thing less to worry about."

"Well, I agree, it must cost a fortune, but the money wasn't spent on comfort that's for sure…" he laughed jokingly. Truth to be told, the seats weren't comfortable, but as long as the ship preserves his life, he wasn't about to brag.

"Well, I've heard the ship wasn't designed to carry passengers, the seats were last-minute adjustments. I hope they were careful enough not to sabotage the systems while setting them up, then again, we didn't find anything wrong at the start, so… might be my paranoia."

Axl didn't have time to answer, as his radio started beeping.

"Axl there."

"Thank goodness, I can reach _you_ at least!" Alia sighed from relief.

"Well, a lovely young lady had joined our conversation" Greg said in his usual easygoing manner "You happen to be Alia, right?"

"Yes. And you're Mr. Deepfield, I assume?"

"Just call me Greg, dear."

"Umm, Alia? You sound kinda worried. What's wrong?" Axl chimed in.

"Well… I don't know how to tell you this, Axl, but… As soon as X and Zero had stepped in the Aperture's facility, I've lost all contact. No readings, nothing."

Silence.

"Maybe it's protected. Or, if they are underground, the signals can fade." Gregory pinched in his two cents.

"Yes, they are under the ground, but it worked even deeper terrains before! We could speak literally at the bottom of the ocean!"

"Yes, because probably there were relay stations planted somewhere. Either way the Aperture has no such thing, or they have, but you can't access to it. Like, we gave the access code for our radio telescopes, so you can reach Axl here. Or, as the third option, there's something or someone screwing with you."

"You mean a maverick could jam the signal?" Asked Axl.

"Well, you are on a mission because of supposed maverick activity, right? After what they did, I can imagine one of them can just block your transmission. Anyway, there's something you both should think over: we _still_ have time to turn back the ship. You've got roughly 60 hours, before you enter the lunar sphere of influence. If things get worse and you choose to abort the mission, inform us ASAP."

"…All right" mumbled Alia, her voice shaky "I'll… I'll try to get some more info. And I'll speak with the commander. Until then, take care, Axl. I'm breaking contact."

"Roger, Alia! Good luck!"

"Good luck, sweetheart!"

Axl waited until the operator broke up the line.

"Don't get me wrong, Greg, it's just a friendly warning: unless you want an angry Blue Bomber on your tail, **do** **not** hit on her."

"…Bummer. Ah, well, there's plenty fish in the sea, eh?"

They shared a laugh. Axl wondered how he can stay such cool-headed, yet humorous at grave situations like this. Maybe it came from routine. Just what did he experience? Maybe even the death of his comrade? How many times was himself in danger? Well, at least they have something to talk about on this long journey.

Another thing he realized, what was common between a hunter and an astronaut: when out on mission, they can both die from practically anything.

* * *

The ASAS-01 was halfway through its journey, when the decision was made: Axl will continue on the mission.

Their choice was heavily influenced by another message from the Innovators. The leader, Ruby Christal was demanding Ciano back.

"**You have 48 hours to hand her over, otherwise… let's just say, I might or might not use a couple of nuclear missiles. And before you doubt it, I'll show you where they are stored. Come, cameraman, follow me!"**

Christal began to walk – good five minutes were spent walking on the Moon – until they reached another building. Christal opened the door.

"**Here it is! Have a look! Total sixteen beauties, lined up here, ready to launch. If you still believe this isn't legit, then I'm afraid, you'll have to see reason when radioactive chemicals are burning your faces. So, what do you say? Will you get her back to me, or not? Your time is ticking…"**

The video ended. Nobody said anything, until Greg spoke up:

"This won't be easy… you still need 36 hours to get to the Moon at all. This means we'll have 12 hours to maneuver the ship, landing with the Lunar Module, investigate, and find Ciano, or at least wipe this guy's butt. Maybe you could get around the time limit by eliminating the boss, thus, the danger. But I guess military tactics aren't my job, are they?"

"Maybe not" this time, instead Alia, Signas was in the line. "But we can't deny you have a point. Still, Axl has to be careful, and he needs to find and disable the missile base as well."

"So, I have to start with that, right?" the young one replied

"Yes. Mr Deepfield, tell your colleagues there will be a change of plan. Axl has to land further away from the Space Aperture."

"I copy."

"As for you, Axl, once you arrive there, scout the area. Find their missiles, and deactivate them. Disable the launchers beyond repair. Keep in mind they might have reserves hidden somewhere else. Meanwhile, if you happen to find Ciano, ensure her safety as well."

"Roger!"

"And Axl! Don't worry much about X and Zero. They are strong, so you are. We're counting on you."

"… I hear you, Commander. I'm breaking conta-… WHOA, WHAT THE!"

A sudden crash, and the whole ship started to spin around madly. Sirens blared off, and there was a strange sound coming from the back compartment…

"Greg, we have trouble!" Axl yelled "The computer detected air leak from the cargo space!"

"Don't panic, let the AI stabilize the course, you go to the back, and get a welder. It should be right next to the red, first-aid kit box. Got it?"

"Gotcha!"

"Now, go back, make sure you close back the doors on your way. Be careful! Don't let the vacuum sip you out! The ship also carries several building materials, luckily for us. Find a plate of metal big enough, and seal the hole!"

It took a lot of sweat and a couple of hours till they deemed Axl's work was safe enough. He had to use at least five layers, before it could keep the hole tearing the ship further.

"What a mess…" the young reploid said as he wiped his hands.

"Indeed" Greg agreed. "Something must've hit your ship either now, or at the start, thus, weakening the shell. As for the radiation, the five thick layers should reduce it efficiently, but don't stay in the cargo place for long periods. Safety's sake. The big Q is, how the hell are you going to land with this thing?"

"Well, as I see, the heat shield is intact…"

"That might not be enough. But don't worry, we'll get you back in one piece. My colleagues are working on it. Worst case scenario, we'll send another ship to collect you."

"Thanks guys. All of you. Oh, hey!"

"What is it?"

"I think I know what just pierced through the ship… wait a second…"

He noticed the object penetrated in a huge box of equipment. He could see the "crater" it made in the cargo. He tried to get it out from the hole, without success.

"Damn… it's… stuck!" he panted.

"Just what is it?"

"Dunno! Wait, lemme just… NNNGH!" Then, with a sudden crack, the object was free. Axl landed on his rear end. "There you go!"

"Is it some kind of space rubbish?"

"Eh… it's some kind of a metal ball… quite in a bad shape. It's dead, and cracked everywhere. Even the optic. At least that's what I think it is."

"You know what? Just bring it in the front, and give us a video footage."

Couple of minutes later, Axl did just that. Both he and the engineers studied the weird ball in deep silence.

"What do you know…" Greg muttered. "For the first time in my career, I have no idea what we're dealing with. You don't see any explosives in it, do you?"

Let us note, that the ball's sides were open. The hunter peeked in, and shook his head.

"Nope, but what I see is a switch inside. Shall I…?"

Brief murmurs, then, Greg shrugged.

"Switch it on if you can. God knows if it's still working."

As the young hunter flipped the switch, he immediately pulled out his hand, as sparks flew everywhere. The blue optic kept flickering, the voice box made screechy, static noises, until it got more or less stabilized.

"Augh… aaaaah… oh, bloody hell, my head… what the… where the hell am I?"

Axl blinked. Finally, the blue optic turned upwards, and the ball noticed him.

"Oh, hello! Um… mind helping me out a little? You see, I've been orbiting around here for… uh… _quite a long time_, and I had to go offline as well. So, if you could tell me, where am I, that'd be wonderful. Amazing. Of course, if you have brain damage, or anything which deters you from speak, you don't have to. Because once I had a friend, a good old friend, who had brain damage, but she was still a wonderful person. Believe me. So if you could tell me…? Wait, no, no, no. Wrong approach. Uh, say, do you… do you understand what I'm saying? Just say yes."

The maverick hunter turned to his team.

"What do you know…" he mumbled "It speaks, and it's British…"

* * *

A.N. No2.: Sooo, that's it. If you have played Portal 2, I suppose you know who we just met. Anyways, since I hadn't been in space, I can only bring up Col. Chris Hadfield's book, and those launching videos on Youtube. Also, why I combined the shuttle and the rocket: I realised the space shuttle could never reach the Moon. But the rocket can't be reused much, and since this is the future we're in... even though there's practically zero nature in the X series, companies need their money too. Well, the concept might be BS, but still, this is only a fanfic. Also, as usual, sorry about the grammar, I don't have a beta yet. I hope you still enjoyed it.


	3. Chapter 3

A.N.: I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY! I really don't have any excuses. College is brutal, and consumes most of my time and energy. Wow. Another whole chapter wasted on just travelling. Maybe I should try writing for Dragonball, too? Just kidding. Anyway, enjoy!

Axl: "Since that freak GLaDOS isn't here, I'll say the credits. All cannon... what? What's cannon? Isn't that supposed to be a weapon? Never mind... So, all cannon characters are belong to Valve and Capcom. Oh, and two people had been added to the OC list: my Greg buddy, and Ruby Christal, who'd better watch his back, because we're coming! If... if I can land us in one piece..."

* * *

**_Fly me to the Moon..._**

35 hours had passed. 35 annoying, stressful hours. The metal ball – it turned out he had a name, and it was Wheatley – kept rambling and rambling, and Axl needed all of his short patience not to shoot him down. However, the little British was an important piece in the puzzle, as he once was "working" in the Aperture. (More like destroying it.) The young hunter now was questioning him, and hoped at least a small amount of his yammering could be useful.

"…So, the potato-GLaDOS became the real GLaDOS once more, the Lady shoot a portal to the Moon, and the vacuum sucked me out, with a couple of other cores as well. I actually don't know what happened to them, I'm sure they're fine… At least Space Core must be happy. He would always go like: '_SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!' _and stuff. God, now I realise how much I miss him… He was bloody annoying, but… he couldn't help it, he was a bit obsessed with space. I dunno why."

"Hey, hey, hey, let me get this straight!" Axl cut in. "First, you told me you used to be part of Aperture."

"Yes. Even the boss, once."

"Okay. Second, somebody killed the main AI, GLaDOS, many years ago."

"Yes, and it was a human! Isn't it crazy? And it was the very same human I…"

"Stop, stop! Stick to the point! After that, you used to work at several workplaces, but they always kicked you out."

"Can you believe it? Once, on the turret factory line, they sent me away after three hours! Three bloody hours! I should ask to register it as a Guinness Record, as the shortest employment of all time!"

"Cool it, will ya? So, finally, you ended up guarding the sleeping test subjects, and by that time, everyone was pretty much dead."

"Uuuuh, yes. Everyone, except one. The brain damaged lady I talked about. I kinda managed to wake her up, so both of us could escape."

"Why did you want to escape, anyway?"

Wheatley gave him a "look".

"Isn't it obvious?! Everything in that facility was made for kill! Besides, I hoped I would find another place, outside of the Aperture, where, you know, they accept me? Maybe have a wonderful job, a wonderful wife, kids… oh, of course, figuratively speaking. But you get what I mean, right?"

"Right, right… And for doing so, you needed human assistance."

"Well, technically speaking, I'm a ball of metal, so, it's hard to move on my own, except when I'm on my management rail. But the Lady was a great help. We went through several testing areas, catwalks, even through the turret factory… well, there was a tiny mistake, when I dropped myself from the rail, and she didn't catch me, but otherwise, she was doing wonderful. We even dared to enter GLaDOS' lair! I admit I reaaaaaaally didn't want to go in there, I mean, she was so scary, even if she was dead!"

The young hunter related to him very much, but he didn't want to express it right now.

"But then, you managed to revive her. And she almost killed you" he added.

"Pretty much. _But,_ we took her down again, with core transfer. You know, it's like… for example, we'd take your head, sew it off, and replace it with… me. While both of us stay alive, of course. Which isn't likely happen in real life, but…"

"_And then?"_ Axl asked sharply, hoping Wheatley would catch his drift.

Suddenly, the AI became unusually quiet. "…And then…" he mumbled.

Axl could never believe it if he didn't see with his own eyes: a simple construction of metal was making the most genuine remorseful expression he had ever witnessed. At that very moment, his annoyance melted away, and pity took its place. Just what could the little devil do, to regret it this much?

"First it was amazing! Really!" Wheatley continued "I mean, I was the boss, I had everything under my command, and I was so… _huge_! I was… I was so powerful, more than you can imagine! The feeling was so wonderful I didn't want to leave, ever!"

"In a nutshell, you became power crazy" said Axl in a rather quiet voice as well.

"That body was making me mad! And the worst of it? I didn't even notice, until I was tore out of it! I destroyed everything I had, I hurt my only friend, both physically and mentally, and I… and I almost killed her. I wish I could say sorry, I really do. I know, there's no excuse for me, but… but…"

Axl patted his shell. "There, there. Once we get back, we'll look for her, okay? Now, tell me, how long have you been orbiting in space?"

"It's embarrassing, but I have no idea. Actually, I was hoping if you could tell me…"

"Say the last date you remember."

It turned out Wheatley was out there for at least _a hundred years_.

Greg whistled. "Who knew Aperture could make such a sturdy stuff! Exposed to high radiation for such a long time, get crashed, and he's still kicking!"

Axl scratched his chin. "Actually, there's a question I wanted to ask: what's the big deal about the radioactivity? I mean, we aren't humans, so we don't get killed by it, don't we?"

Greg – and possibly the whole staff – facepalmed.

"I can't believe _you're_ in space…" he muttered "Listen: true, reploids have a better protection than the human skin. However, our biggest barrier is Earth's magnetic field. Once you're out of it, you'll have to be prepared, 'cause the cosmic radioactivity is so damn high, it will literally short-circuit your brain. The same goes for every piece of electronics. To be frank, I have no idea how our little friend survived it, but what I _do _know is that you definitely couldn't do the same, not without proper protection."

"Oh, I see…" he muttered, embarrassed.

"And before you ask" Alia added, and Axl flinched. He totally forgot she was still there! "…you do have protection. Remember that grey armor we gave you?"

"Ah that? It totally looks like my own, except it's thicker, and… dark."

"It's because it was made out of lightanium and lead. The life support system isn't as big as in the human EVA* suits, bit still, careful when you go through narrow gaps. Also, for the helmet, we had adjusted a visor. It should filter the sunrays effectively. Just pull it down before you exit your space vehicle, okay?"

"Roger!"

"Speaking of EVA…" Greg added "Get ready, and put your suit on, rookie. 'Cause you'll need to show your driving skills soon."

"WHAT?! It's time already?!" Axl cried out.

"Yep. You have 45 minutes to prepare, both the Lunar Module, and yourself."

"You're joking! That's so soon, I don't even…"

Greg cut him off: "Look, no time to act whiny. If we can't land you on the first try, you'll simply run out time! So PULL YOUR ACT TOGETHER, AND KICK RUBY'S ASS!"

"Y-yes, sir!" stuttered, out of surprise. Who would've known he could speak in such authoritative tone! "I'm on my way!"

* * *

Hoooo, boy. Ho, boy. Ho, boy. Ho, boy. Ho, boy, ho, boy, hoboyhoboyhoboyhoboy...

_CRASSSH!_

"Wheatley!"

"Sorry! Sorry! Uuuuuh, I think I hit a lever here. Don't be alarmed, though. I'm sure it's fine! Nothing important..."

Just then, a syren blared off.

"Wheatley, you...!" Axl yelled throwing his hands up in the air. "Eeehh, lemme see..."

He climbed out of his seat and through the hatch of the lunar module - it was hard to move around with that thick EVA suit - and noticed the metal ball flying around just outside the command module. He caught him quickly, before he could do more damage.

"Hey, I left you in the CM, how did you get out?" The young hunter asked.

"Well, first, I kinda discovered I can actually move in space. I just gotta spin around for longer, and tada! Move. I always screw up the directions, though. I hit the wall a few times, before I could open the door for myself."

"That's pretty much like a gyroscope..." Greg hummed. "Axl, mind doing yourself a favour? Check the CM again. You still have ten minutes. Just... make sure our little friend didn't hit any other switches. Oh, and if you're going to leave him somewhere, _tape him down." _

_"What? Leave me?!" _

Axl looked down at him in pity. "Look, Wheatley, I'm going where the bad guys are. Meaning, they will try everything to kill us. I think you will be much more safe if you stay here and not touch anything."

"That isn't much different where _I_ used to live!"

"I still stick to my point."

"And what about you?"

Axl fell in silence, but then, he smirked.

"Yeah, there's a chance I won't come back. But I've been living with this risk for quite a long time. It's something you have to take, when you're a hunter..." ...or an illegal assassin. "I'm doing this for the others. Humans, robots, reploids. They count on us to keep them safe."

The little British looked definitely heartbroken.

"It's also for you Wheatley" Axl continued. " Please, understand..."

"NO, NO, STOP!"

The air froze from the sudden outburst. Axl could only blink at his new friend.

"Look, I... I'm not asking you to stop your mission. Far from it! You're the hero, gotta save the day, and it's just fine! But... I've...I've been in space for_ one hundred bloody years_, and since Space Core left, it was just me and the vacuum. Please... I don't want to lose another friend like this... Seeing them the last time and never again. If I die, I _die_, I don't care! But I don't want to be left alone again..."

Axl looked over the monitor, where Greg stared back at him, his expression unreadable. Finally, the young hunter came to a decision.

"Maybe it would be better if I take you, Wheatley. So I can make sure you don't screw up anything..."

"REALLY? Really?! You won't leave me?! Oh, thank you, thank you! Seriously! I...I don't even..."

"Okay, just put a lid on it!" Axl cut him off "Now, let me find some duct tape..."

"Don't forget about the CM!" Greg warned.

"I won't, I won't! Thanks momma..."

"WHO YOU CALL MOMMA?!"

* * *

"Separating Lunar Module in 3... 2... 1... Now!"

As Axl pressed the button, something crackled. The LM juddered softly, and soon, Axl saw the ASAS-01 passing away, as he looked out from the cockpit window. There was no turning back now.

"Axl, ca...you ..ear u..?"

"Alia? Greg?"

"Co... in!"

"I can hear you, but barely. The singal is really weak."

"Turn the Mo... around gently! No hurrie...!" Greg yelled as if would've helped to clear all the noise.

"Look" Alia said "You wi... be ou... of our radius ...oon. Reme... ...estroy all mi...les, and resc... Ciano. A map is i... your sui... ..ll you have to do i..."

"Yes?"

The line went static.

"Alia?"

_...krrshshssrrrshkkkrkrrsssshshsh..._

"Damn..." Axl hung his head low "I wish they could tell me..."

Wheatley - who had been taped on his belly like a hyperactive baby kangaroo - peeked up at him in high spirits.

"Hey, don't worry about the radio signal!" he tried to cheer him up "I'm sure it'll return is a couple of hours. The soon as we bypass the Moon."

"That's it, Wheatley" Axl grumbled. "We're going to _land_ on the far side of the Moon!"

Awkward silence.

"Oh. Uh, still, my point does stand, right? We are going to Earth sooner or later, aren't we?"

"Yes, we will. At least, that's the plan. But until then, we have a lot of work to do..."

Including the most feared of them all, the landing. Their little compartment was turning around slowly, barely one degree at a time. The computer calculated the course (thank goodness), however their orbit still wasn't right somehow. They were supposed to land in Crate Lowell, to get a better cover. Space Aperture was located in Mare Orientale, one of the rare plains around here. But if they continue like this, they might fly over the whole surface, and who knows, maybe get tossed out of Moon's gravity field. Might as well fix that...

"Are we there yet?"

Axl's eyes twitched. _Seriously?!_

"No. And we won't be there within good ten minutes. Now, would you please stay quiet? I need to concentrate."

"Oh."

Axl fired a rocket, and now, the whole LM started turning slowly.

"Uuuuh, Axl? You might not notice in your _big_ concentration, but we are spinning around, like a merry-go-round..."

"It's normal..." he grunted.

The course was finally okay, but the speed wasn't. Sure enough, a warning sign bleeped in his face.

"What was that?"

"We're going a little fast" Axl replied. "Don't worry, I'm on it."

He continued pressing buttons, and the little shpere continued rambling.

"Uh, look, it's not like I don't trust you, but... are you sure you're doing okay? Because I can see a core port over here, just plug me in, and I can help you out. No biggie. Of course if you don't want help, just ignore little me speaking. I'll have no hard feelings..."

"_Y__ou know what?!" _Axl bursted out "Just keep talking! Continue distracting me even more, never mind I'm trying to land us alive! Just continue speaking whatever you want, I don't care!"

Awkward silence.

"Uuuh... um. This is embarrassing, but I have no idea what to say right now" Wheatley admitted.

Axl sighed in relief.

...Until a siren started shrilling. Alarmed, the young hunter looked over the screen, and paled. He forgot how fast they were, and they were mere 20 feet high right now! Not to mention, their position was far from okay for landing, but even if they hit the ground with the landing pads down, they'd still crash with brutal force!

"Operation quick-turn!" Axl yelled, as he mashed buttons franctically. The LM surged, Wheatley screamed, but he managed to stabilise it just in time.

"Retrorockets, full power!"

The sheer force shoved them. Almost like running over a bump while driving on the highway. Will it be enough..?

A camera attached under the module showed them the surface they wanted to land on. Problem is, it was still approaching faster than it should.

"C'mon..." Axl growled

"We're gonna bloody die..." Wheatley whined.

"_**Come on!**"_

"USE THE FORCE, AXL!"

**CLANG! BAM! CRASSSH!**

And then, silence.

* * *

Wheatley opened his eye. Looking around he saw the compatment intact (at least what he could sense from his field of view), and Axl breathing. (Wait a second, wasn't he supposed to be a robot? How does he breathe?)

"We... are _not_ dead!" he cheered "Awesome! Fan-freaking-tastic! Hey, Axl, do you hear?!"

"Yes..." he breathed, full of relief. "We're pretty much alive. For now..."

* * *

Opening the hatch seemed a bit harder than it was in the simulator. Axl pulled down the golden sunray-filter on his helmet, and squeezed himself out.

Outside was like a rocky desert. Stones, mountains, craters everywhere. And no other soul around. The young hounter almost wanted to shout to hear the echo, but then, he remembered there was absolutely no air on the Moon.

Instead, he went over the LM, to inspect the damages. Much to his surprise it was more or less intact. Two out of three landing pads were broken, and the other one was stuck in the ground. But the fuel tank, the rocket engine, the accumulator, and the other basic life supporting systems were fine. Maybe the little compartment was able to get them back as well - after the pads were fixed, of course.

Axl carressed the machine's side, and noticed a little, copper plate, with the ship's name engraved on it: "CHELL".

"Thanks, CHELL..." he muttered. "You really are a sturdy girl. You saved my butt just now..."

He glanced down to his companion, still taped on his belly. He was looking back at him, twitching. Probably he was actually talking, but didn't realize he can't hear him now. He might need to establish a radio contact with him, but eeehhhh... the silence was a bliss right now.

He bent his knees, and jumped up to get a better wiew. The Moon's gravity let him fly twice as high as on Earth. He hopped over the edge of the crater, and finally, he saw something interesting.

A huge, grayish white building was shimmering in the distance. Around it he noticed several storage places, containers, launching pads with many other space vehicles on them, and even a long, wide runway.

Axl smirked in triumph. "Space Aperture, we're coming at ya..."

* * *

*EVA = ExtraVehicular Activity


End file.
